1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet printer, an ink jet printing method and a continuous recording sheet. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ink jet printer and an ink jet printing method in which a roll of a continuous recording sheet is used, and portions in the continuous recording sheet where images cannot be recorded with high quality can be prevented from being used for printing, and a continuous recording sheet for use therein.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
An ink jet printer is known, and includes an ink jet printing head. The ink jet printer is used with recording material any of plural types, which include a sheet or card in a limited size, and a continuous recording sheet with a great length. The continuous recording sheet is supplied in a form of a sheet roll. The use of the sheet roll is effective in printing an image frame efficiently and quickly.
To produce the roll type of the continuous recording sheet, the continuous recording sheet is obtained by cutting at a predetermined great length. In manufacturing lines for the continuous recording sheet, there occur a great number of recording sheet strips with relatively small lengths under the predetermined great length at respective manufacturing lots. Although the recording sheet strip has as high quality as the continuous recording sheet by way of a product, the recording sheet strip cannot be used as product because of the insufficient lengths. The recording sheet strip must be discarded as waste, which is inconsistent to reducing the manufacturing cost.
To elongate the recording sheet strip, it is conceivable to splice two recording sheet strips to one another. However, splicing causes a thickness of the continuous recording sheet to become greater because adhesive agent or adhesive tape has its own thickness. Also, a stepped shape occurs at a splicing portion in the continuous recording sheet. It is impossible to print the image frame at the splicing portion with high quality. It is general in the ink jet printer that a gap between the printing head and the recording sheet strip is as small as 1 mm. It is likely that the splicing portion contacts and interferes with the continuous recording sheet at the gap, to cause jamming of the continuous recording sheet, damages of the printing head and other serious problems.
In view of the foregoing problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer and ink jet printing method in which a roll of a continuous recording sheet is used, and portions in the continuous recording sheet where images cannot be recorded with high quality can be prevented from being used for printing, and a continuous recording sheet for use therein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer and ink jet printing method in which interference of a continuous recording sheet with a printing head can be prevented, and a continuous recording sheet for use therein.
In order to achieve the above and other objects and advantages of this invention, an image frame is formed in a continuous recording sheet at a size PL with reference to a feeding direction of the continuous recording sheet. The continuous recording sheet includes plural recording sheets, and a splicing portion for splicing the plural recording sheets to one another in one line. In an ink jet printing method, the image frame is printed to the continuous recording sheet with a printing head while the continuous recording sheet is fed in the feeding direction. It is detected whether the splicing portion comes past a predetermined position upstream from the printing head at a distance L1. The printing head is inhibited from printing the image frame if an unavailable region including the splicing portion is estimated to overlap on a region of the image frame according to a detection signal from the detecting step.
In a preferred embodiment, PLxe2x89xa6L1xe2x89xa62PL.
Furthermore, a printer forms an image frame in a continuous recording sheet at a size PL with reference to a feeding direction of the continuous recording sheet. In the printer, a feeder mechanism feeds the continuous recording sheet in the feeding direction. A printing head prints the image frame to the continuous recording sheet being fed. A splice sensor is disposed upstream from the printing head at a distance L1, for detecting the splicing portion, where Lxe2x89xa7PL. A controller inhibits the printing head from printing a succeeding second image frame if the splice sensor detects the splicing portion before completion of printing of one first image frame.
The plural recording sheets include material having porosity.
The controller causes the continuous recording sheet to move until the splicing portion comes past the printing head, and then allows printing of the second image frame.
Furthermore, a cutter cuts away the splicing portion from a first recording sheet where the first image frame is positioned in the continuous recording sheet, and from a second recording sheet where the second image frame is positioned in the continuous recording sheet.
The cutter is disposed upstream from the printing head in the feeding direction.
In a preferred embodiment, the cutter is disposed downstream from the printing head in the feeding direction.
Furthermore, a shifter mechanism shifts one of the printing head and the continuous recording sheet from remainder thereof while the splicing portion moves past the printing head, to prevent the printing head from interfering with the splicing portion.
The shifter mechanism includes at least two shifter rollers, disposed upstream and downstream from the printing head, for being rotated and for shifting the continuous recording sheet away from the printing head.
The continuous recording sheet includes splicing information, positioned with the splicing portion, for representing the splicing portion. The splice sensor detects the splicing portion by reading the splicing information.
The splicing information comprises a splicing indicia.
In another preferred embodiment, the splicing information is constituted by a through hole.
In still another preferred embodiment, the splice sensor is constituted by a thickness measurer for detecting a thickness of the continuous recording sheet. The controller detects the splicing portion by comparing the thickness with a reference thickness.
The splicing portion includes adhesive agent for attaching the plural recording sheets to one another.
In another preferred embodiment, the splicing portion includes an adhesive tape for attaching the plural recording sheets to one another.
The plural recording sheets include a support material. A resin layer is formed on at least one surface of the support material, overlapped with one other recording sheet, and adapted to ultrasonic welding for splicing.
According to another aspect of the invention, an image frame is formed in a continuous recording sheet at one of sizes PL and HL with reference to a feeding direction of the continuous recording sheet, where PL greater than HL. In an ink jet printing method, the image frame is printed to the continuous recording sheet with a printing head while the continuous recording sheet is fed in the feeding direction. While the continuous recording sheet is fed, the splicing portion is detected in a predetermined position upstream from the printing head in the feeding direction. The printing head allowed to print the image frame irrespective of the sizes PL and HL if an unavailable region including the splicing portion is estimated to come outside or come adjacent to an image frame region having the size PL according to a detection signal from the detecting step, wherein the printing head is allowed to print the image frame having the size HL in inhibiting the printing head from printing the image frame having the size PL if the unavailable region is estimated to overlap on the image frame region having the size PL according to the detection signal, and wherein the printing head is inhibited from printing the image frame having the size HL if the unavailable region is estimated to overlap on an image frame region having the size HL according to the detection signal.
Furthermore, a printer forms an image frame in a continuous recording sheet at one of sizes PL and HL with reference to a feeding direction of the continuous recording sheet, where PL greater than HL. In the printer, a feeder mechanism feeds the continuous recording sheet in the feeding direction. A printing head prints the image frame to the continuous recording sheet being fed. A splice sensor is disposed in a predetermined position upstream from the printing head in the feeding direction, for detecting the splicing portion while the continuous recording sheet is fed. A length measurer measures a sheet feeding amount of the continuous recording sheet in the feeding direction with reference to a detection signal from the splice sensor. A controller is operated in response to completion of printing one preceding image frame, for obtaining a distance D in the feeding direction between the printing head and the splicing portion upstream therefrom according to the sheet feeding amount, for comparing the distance D with the size PL, for, if PLxe2x89xa6D, allowing the printing head to print the image frame irrespective of the sizes PL and HL, for, if D less than PL, comparing the distance D with the size HL in inhibiting printing of the image frame at the size PL, for, if HLxe2x89xa6D, allowing the printing head to print the image frame at the size HL, and for, if D less than HL, inhibiting printing of the image frame at the size HL.
The controller, if D less than HL, causes the continuous recording sheet to move until the splicing portion comes past the printing head, and then allows printing of the image frame irrespective of the sizes PL and HL.
The controller, if HLxe2x89xa6D less than PL, adjusts an order of information of image frames to set an image frame of the size HL with priority over the image frame of the size PL, and drives the printing head according thereto.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a continuous recording sheet of a roll form includes plural recording sheets adapted to ink jet printing. A splicing portion splices the plural recording sheets to one another in one line.
The plural recording sheets include material having porosity.
Furthermore, splicing information is positioned with the splicing portion, for representing the splicing portion.